Friday, March 27
This was our last full day. We woke up in Key West, FL. First order of business was Immigration Customs and Border Patrol, where we marched through the theater to show our passports to the agents. There has always been some level of this in cruising, but it was so unobtrusive that I didn’t even recall it. This time, current events led me to feel the ick. Thankfully, all passengers got through without incident.
After that rigamarole and mishegas, we went up to the buffet for breakfast. Instead of my usual oatmeal, I indulged with some eggs Benedict and bacon. So yummm! And then, I was zonked. I barely slept the night before because our blanket was so heavy that I could not get comfortable, and totally sweated through the sheets. I had no recourse except to follow up after lunch with a stop at “Utscmushers” for a real coffee (buffet coffee was weak AF). I asked Sheena how large of an Americano she could make. I think she gave me a triple, and that perked me up quite a bit. At least I found out that other women – both pre- (Sheena) and post- (another passenger waiting for coffee) menopausal alike – were having the same night sweats, so I was glad to know it wasn’t just me.
The plan for the morning was to go to the Ernest Hemingway House. On the way there, we dropped Hubs off at Daddy Daycare (aka, a bar), since he’d already been to Hemingway’s with me on our July cruise and didn’t feel like revisiting. When we disembarked and headed to town, I did have to first make a quick stop at Gator Coffee at the end of the pier for a cortado, as we began our trek to HH (so TG and I could get our kitty fix).
It was nice and cloudy with a few teeny sprinkles for most of the day, which went a long way towards making the temps tolerable. It was only in the upper 70s, but down there where the sun is strong, 70s feels a LOT hotter than it does at home.
Of course, the kitties at HH know how to beat the heat with some serious napping in the shade. Here are a few of the friends we met:
By the time we’d seen the whole place and bought a few souvenirs, we went to find Hubs. He’d migrated to a bar across the street, so we told him to come find us at Moondog Cafe, where TG and I had already put our name in for a table.
Last time we were in Key West, I’d smelled amazing smells from this place when we passed by, but the wait for a table was over an hour. This time, it was only 25 minutes and well worth the wait! TG had the Moondog (basic burger) and Hubs & I had the Frenchman: a burger topped with crispy onions, Brie, arugula & roasted garlic-honey jam on a brioche bun. It was outstanding, as were my accompanying truffle fries.
After lunch, we meandered back towards the ship via Duval Street, popping into various shops along the way. But, man, was I exhausted! I just wanted to get my frozen, chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick (back at Gator Joe’s), and get back to the cabin to shower and do some packing because tomorrow… we go home again.
But first… a few more shipboard photos:
Step count for the day: 16,319
The next morning, we had a quick breakfast, collected our bags, and headed to the airport. And that, as they say, is that… another fun, family cruise in the books!